Friday, May 17th: The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead: An Illustrated Lecture with Chiara Ambrosio
The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead: An Illustrated Lecture with Chiara Ambrosio Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $8 Naples is a unique city in which the sacred and the profane, Catholicism and paganism, beauty and decay blend and contrast in intriguing ways. No practice illustrates this tangle of ideas better than what is known [...]
Tuesday, April 30th: Masonic Slapstick
Masonic Slapstick Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $8 An Illustrated lecture by John Goldsmith, Curator of the DeMoulin Museum accompanied by a one-night-only exhibition of initiation devices curated by Mike Zohn, co-star of TV’s “Oddities” Between 1890 and 1930, hundreds of thousands of men belonged to the Masons, the Elks, the Kiwanis, or another [...]
Friday, April 26th: A Fate Worse Than Death: The Perils of Being a Famous Corpse
A Fate Worse Than Death: The Perils of Being a Famous Corpse Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Most of us know what our afterlives are going to be like: eternity in the ground, or resting in an urn on some relative’s mantelpiece. If we’re lucky, our children might occasionally bring us flowers or [...]
Friday, April 19th: What is Biodesign? What is Bioart?
What is Biodesign? What is Bioart? Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 For centuries, artists and designers have looked to nature for inspiration and for materials, but only recently have they become able to incorporate living organisms or tissues into their work. This startling development at the intersection of biology and design has created [...]
Friday, April 12th: Confessions of a Mexican American Hoarder or the Caucasian Bestiary: The Existential and Insane Consequences of Collecting Stereotypes
Confessions of a Mexican American Hoarder or the Caucasian Bestiary: The Existential and Insane Consequences of Collecting Stereotypes Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $8 After a forced delay due to Hurricane Sandy, William Nericcio is finally coming to New York City to share his confessions with us at Observatory. What happens to the mind [...]
Thursday, April 11th: Love’s Unknowable Eye: The Curious History and Mysterious Allure of 18th Century ‘Lovers Eyes’
Love’s Unknowable Eye: The Curious History and Mysterious Allure of 18th Century “Lovers Eyes” Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $8 Tonight at Observatory, we invite you to join us for a highly illustrated talk on what were historically called “eye miniatures,” now called “lover’s eyes.” These beautiful portrait miniatures, featuring only the eye of [...]
Sunday, April 7th: Bartitsu -The Victorian Self Defense System: A Lecture and Demonstration
Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Bartitsu was a Victorian system of self defense. Taught in the late 1890s, it is regarded by some as the first mixed martial arts system. Originally learned by gentlemen, and gentle women, as a way to fend off footpads and other thugs of the day, Bartitsu is now [...]
Saturday, April 6th: Channeling Elvis? An Automatic Writing Demonstration with UK Medium Myra Basey
Channeling Elvis? An Automatic Writing Demonstration with UK Medium Myra Basey Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 2pm $10 Automatic writing (or psychography) is writing which the writer claims to be produced from a subconscious, external or spiritual source without conscious awareness of the content. Automatism, the cornerstone of Surrealism, was co-opted from Spiritualism’s use of [...]
Friday, April 5th: Do Tables Tilt, Turn And Float? Table Levitation Phenomena, 1850-2006: An Illustrated Presentation with Walter Meyer zu Erpen
Do Tables Tilt, Turn And Float? Table Levitation Phenomena, 1850-2006: An Illustrated Presentation with Walter Meyer zu Erpen 8pm $8 Using still photography and video, Walter Meyer zu Erpen will outline the history of table levitation phenomena from 1850 onwards. He will combine historical research with his personal experience of more than 130 sessions in [...]
Thursday, April 4th: Traditional Spiritualist Message Service with UK Medium Myra Basey
Traditional Spiritualist Message Service with UK Medium Myra Basey Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Myra Basey, a Spiritualist medium visiting from the UK, will conduct a traditional Spiritualist message service and demonstration of clairvoyance. A brief introduction to Spiritualism and message services in general will also be included. This is a rare opportunity [...]
Friday, March 29th: Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech’s Brave New Beasts
Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech’s Brave New Beasts Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Biotechnology has given us a whole new toolbox for tinkering with life, and we have the power to modify animals in profound new ways. We are editing their genetic codes, rebuilding their broken bodies, and supplementing their natural senses. [...]
Tuesday, February 26th: Sex in Dictionaries: An Illustrated Presentation
Sex in Dictionaries: An Illustrated Presentation Gemini & Scorpio Loft (255 Douglass St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Did you know that according to the current editions of most major dictionaries, it’s impossible to fuck someone in the ass with a dildo? A full explanation this odd situation touches on prudery, etymology, ignorance, the theory of defining, [...]
Saturday, February 16th: The Legacy of Reverend James Randolph Denton
The Legacy of Reverend James Randolph Denton Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $5 “The Legacy of Reverend James Randolph Denton” presents the theological scholarship of the founder of The Association for Creative Zoology, a nearly century-old organization advocating for creation science. The Association was present in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925 during the trial of [...]
Friday, February 15th: ‘Up the Creek’ Newtown Creek Photography Presentation
“Up the Creek” Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm? Advance ticket purchase recommended A photographer and blogger, Mitch has been wandering around the currently undefended border of Brooklyn and Queens for several years. Mitch has visited its hidden corners and works to reveal its obscure story, documenting the rich history and environmental issues which plague [...]
Thursday, February 14th: Tragic Tattoo Tales: A Valentine’s Day Lecture and Reading with Tattoo Scholars
Tragic Tattoo Tales: A Valentine’s Day Lecture and Reading with Tattoo Scholars Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $5 Love, loss… and disfigurement, murder, and flayed skin (with a bit of cannibalism and sadism thrown in for good measure). What better way to spend your Valentine’s Day evening than to join us for a glass [...]
Friday, February 8th: The Victorian Love Affair with Death and the Art of Mourning Hair Jewelry: Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party
The Victorian Love Affair with Death and the Art of Mourning Hair Jewelry: Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 Click here for more cheap New York City events & things to do.
Thursday, February 7th: Death As Muse: An Intimate Evening With Blake Schwarzenbach, Musician, Painter, Jawbreaker, Forgetter
Death As Muse: An Intimate Evening With Blake Schwarzenbach, Musician, Painter, Jawbreaker, Forgetter Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $5 From Dante to Donnie Darko perhaps no other idea has inspired more creative pursuits than life’s final act: death. Love, it could be argued, is a close second—and if that’s the case, let us bow [...]
Sunday, February 3rd: ‘Viva la Muerte: The Mushrooming Cult of Saint Death’ : Lecture, Book Signing and Party
“Viva la Muerte: The Mushrooming Cult of Saint Death” : Lecture, Book Signing and Party Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 7pm $12 Illustrated lecture by Professor R. Andrew Chesnut, author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint; Q and A moderated by The Revealer‘s David Metcalfe; Music and cocktails by Friese Undine; Santa [...]
Sunday, February 3rd: Research Methods for Artists and Scholars: A Workshop with Rachel Herschman
Research Methods for Artists and Scholars: A Workshop with Rachel Herschman Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 1-2:30pm $20 For curious exploration or focused research–this course will provide participants with strategies for investigating a topic and tricks for discovering the unexpected. From card catalogs to digital search tools, learn about a range of resources and how [...]
Friday, February 1st: ‘All My Tomorrows’
All My Tomorrows Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $5 Tonight, join Imagine Science Films and Morbid Anatomy for an exclusive U.S. premiere screening of “All My Tomorrows” directed by Sonia Herman Dolz. Imagine Science Films aims to transform the way science and scientists are portrayed in mainstream media, while emphasizing the importance of storytelling, [...]
Friday, January 25th: Thomas Stathes Cartoon Carnival
Thomas Stathes Cartoon Carnival Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 7:30pm $12 in advance Join archivist and projectionist, Tom Stathes, for a special screening celebrating the seasons As Winter 2013 draws on, Tom Stathes has curated animated cartoons from the 1920s-1930s for every season of the year. Searching his vast stacks of 16mm animation rarities and [...]
Saturday, January 26th: Full Moon Fire Magick Workshop (RSVP Now)
Full Moon Fire Magick Workshop Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 3-4:30pm $20, RSVP required: phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com Tonight will be the first full moon of the new year. Called “Wolf Moon” or “Ice Moon,” it’s associated with the dead of winter, when wolves howl hungrily in the dark. But in a few days, it will [...]
Thursday, January 24th: The History of the Memento Mori and Death’s Head Iconography
The History of the Memento Mori and Death’s Head Iconography Observatory (543 Union St., Brooklyn) 8pm $10 In tonight’s lecture–the second in a 3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry–master jeweler and art historian Karen Bachmann will explore the development of the memento mori, objects whose very raison d’être is to remind the [...]
